A Boro football hooligan claimed a Sunderland fan he struck had spat in his face after calling him a “paedo”.

A police officer told Teesside Magistrates’ Court that he’d witnessed Gareth Cook approach an unsuspecting supporter and punch him in the head, from behind, before January’s FA Cup tie at the Riverside.

Cook said he acted in self defence and thrust his hand out to protect himself from being headbutted.

But magistrates didn’t believe his version of events and found him guilty of a public order offence after a short trial.

Cook was given a five year banning order in March - his third ban - after a court heard of a catalogue of disorder at Middlesbrough games during the club’s run in the Premier League.

However the 34-year-old was not present on March 9 to hear those details, and indicated to the court he would be appealing that ban at the Crown Court.

On Tuesday, magistrates heard evidence from PC James Grieves, a police dog handler who was deployed to the ‘high-risk’ derby match on January 6.

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He told magistrates he was standing around 20m from the assault close to the main road running parallel with the Riverside Stadium’s south stand, and saw Cook approach another fan from behind close to the turnstiles, punch him, and then walk away.

PC Grieves said as he was in control of a police dog, he couldn’t enter the crowd - but said he kept a clear eye on Cook and another officer, who didn’t give evidence, went to stop him.

“He had a woollen hat on with what I would describe as black lenses in it, which is quite a common garment worn by those who cause disorder at football as they can be pulled down over the face,” said PC Grieves.

“He removed the hat and tried to disappear into the crowd. PC Benson (the other officer) caught up with him and referred to him by name.

“The defendant made a comment ‘well did you see him spit on me?’.”

PC Grieves told the court that in his opinion, fellow fans - including older supporters, families and young children - were left in fear after the assault.

Police did not find the victim, and did not interview any witnesses. Instead of being charged with assault, Cook was instead charged with using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of or provoke unlawful violence which he denied.

Defending Cook, Tony Jackson questioned why PC Grieves had originally said he’d been 10m away from the incident in a statement - but in court claimed 20m - and asked how he could have had an uninterrupted view from such a distance, with hundreds of other supporters filing into the stadium just 15 minutes before the 1pm kick-off.

He compared it to the length of a cricket pitch, and said even umpires miss things at that distance - without any distractions.

But the officer was clear he had seen the entire incident and saw no evidence of spitting or a verbal row - as the victim had his back turned.

After PC Grieves admitted he would class spitting as an assault, Mr Jackson said: “Did you have anyone else investigate this (that Mr Cook had been spat at)?”

The officer answered: “I will be quite honest that I did not believe that he had been spat at. The victim was not facing towards him, he was facing away. I would have seen it.”

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Giving evidence, Cook said he’d been standing near the south stand turnstiles when a man asked him: “Are you Boro?”

When he said he was, Cook claims he was called a “paedophile” and other abusive names.

“I just laughed and turned away,” said Cook, a labourer of Bournemouth Avenue, Ormesby, Middlesbrough.

“But he spat in my face. He’d been drinking, it was like lager froth that he spat.

“I wiped it away on my sleeve and then he came from the side, trying to stick the head in so I put up my arm into his face to defend myself.”

Cook claimed he hit with an open hand, not a punch, and told the court he had not been drinking as he’d been suffering with an illness over the new year period.

He also claimed PC Grieves “deserved a medal” for being able to see an altercation through a crowd of hundreds, and claimed officers forming a human wall between the Boro fans entering the south stand turnstiles and Sunderland fans in the south east corner were much closer - and saw nothing.

But magistrates found him guilty and will sentence him on May 15, when police will also apply for a football banning order.